Timothy Busfield, the husband of Melissa Gilbert, surrendered to the Albuquerque Police Department on Tuesday, January 13, following the issuance of an arrest warrant earlier in the month.
According to KOAT, Busfield has been charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. The charges stem from alleged misconduct involving child actors during the production of The Cleaning Lady, a series Busfield directed.
Busfield turned himself in four days after the warrant was issued. The investigation began in 2024 and involves twin actors who appeared on the Fox series. Court documents state that the boys—now 11—were reportedly around seven years old when the alleged conduct began.
An arrest warrant indicates that the children’s mother filed a police report in October 2025 and informed Child Protective Services that her sons disclosed alleged sexual abuse by Busfield occurring from approximately November 2022 through spring 2024.
Busfield Denies Allegations
TMZ first reported Busfield’s surrender and released video of him addressing the allegations. In the footage, Busfield denies the claims and asserts his innocence, explaining that he traveled to Albuquerque after being instructed to do so and retained legal counsel upon learning of the warrant.
He characterized the allegations as false and stated his intention to contest the charges, saying he plans to fight them in court and expects to be cleared.
Gilbert, who has been married to Busfield since 2013, responded by deleting all of her social media accounts shortly after the allegations became public.
First Court Appearance
Busfield made his initial court appearance on Wednesday, January 14, before a judge in Bernalillo County. He did not enter a plea at that time.
The court ordered that Busfield be held without bond pending a pretrial detention hearing, which is scheduled to occur within five business days. His preliminary hearing must begin by January 29. Busfield appeared alongside his attorney, Amber Fayerberg.
As the case proceeds, the allegations remain unproven, and Busfield is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.